Habs call up Blunden, Holland, Beaulieu; Prust out for four weeks

With the Canadiens’ injury list growing – Brandon Prust’s shoulder injury will keep the rugged forward out of the lineup for four weeks – GM Marc Bergevin travelled to Hamilton Sunday to check in on what’s available on the farm.

On Monday morning, the Canadiens announced that forwards Mike Blunden and Patrick Holland have been called up from the AHL Bulldogs. And late Monday afternoon, the club announced that defenceman Nathan Beaulieu, who had quietly been returned to Hamilton on the weekend, had also been called up to the Canadiens.

The Bulldogs lost 2-1 to the Toronto Marlies while getting only 18 shots on goal Sunday. Blunden scored the lone Hamilton goal. In three games with the Bulldogs, Blunden had two goals and an assist and was plus-3. Holland had one goal and one assist in four games and was plus-4. Defenceman Greg Pateryn leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 2-2-4 totals.

Joining Prust and Max Pacioretty on the Canadiens’ injured list is Daniel Briere, who is out indefinitely with a concussion suffered in Saturday’s loss to Nashville. Alexei Emelin, George Parros and Douglas Murray – also sidelined with injuries – all skated Monday in Brossard with strength coach Pierre Allard.

Blunden and Holland joined Ryan White on the fourth line for Monday’s practice, while rookie Michael Bournival was told he’s staying in Montreal for the long run.

“We told to Michael Bournival this morning that he can start looking for an apartment,” coach Michel Therrien told reporters in Brossard.

Here’s how all the lines and defence pairings looked at Monday’s practice:

Here are his numbers over the last three years. The numbers reflect the frequency of goals scored and allowed while Briere has been on the ice

2011 – EVEN: One GF every 17 minutes- PP: One GF every 9.1 mins.
2012 – EVEN: One GF every 21 minutes- PP: One GF every 8 mins.
2013- EVEN: One GF every 30 minutes-PP: One GF every 7.5 mins.

2104- EVEN:One GF every 23 minutes-PP: One GF every 5.5 mins.

Yes he has personally only scored one goal and two assists, but does it really matter who actually puts the puck in the net?

Hockey is a team game, when a player, or a line are sent onto the ice their objective is for their TEAM to score and to prevent the other team from scoring.

Briere has done what he was/is expected to do. considering he has been moved from his natural center position I cannot understand what all the fuss is/was about . If anything I am shocked that he was not instantly made the center for one of the HAb’s two main PP units, I thought that the only reason his signing made sense was to bolster our PP (giving us two productive units on the PP instead of last season where we never had a decent second PP wave)

Dude, put away the stats for a second. There’s four other guys on the ice, five if you include the goaltender. He’s probably on his way off the ice, jumping on or not even part of the action in half the above stats.

No matter how good you think he is, he’s worth $2 million a season, tops, not $4 million. I’d say there’s a 90% chance he doesn’t come close to putting up numbers that he has in the past. There is a reason Philadelphia bought him out for all that money.

And what ticks people off the most is that the last thing the team needed was another small player, they are way over the limit. Briere looks like a shell of his former self.

All I’m hoping for is that he has the occasional flashback and puts up some points once in a while, but that’s not worth $4 million. He could even retire after this latest concussion and the Canadiens would still be paying him.

1) No Simon Gagne or Jordan Tottoo please. This team does not need more baggage or aging vets.
2) Where’s Christian Thomas? Did he get injured?
3) If LL doesn’t get in gear in the next 10 games, he’s gone.

Who has been your biggest (positive) surprise of the early season so far?

My picks:

a): Markov- Many people, myself included thought he was done based on last years performance; what a turnaround!
this season in 133 minutes of ES TOI he has been on for 10 goals for and only 2 goals against a stellar a+ 8 and the team is averaging one GF every 13 minutes and one GA every 67 minutes.

Last season he was a -9 having been on the ice for 30 GF in 822 minutes, for an averageof just one goal every 27 minutes and 39 goals against (average of one GA every 21 minutes)

Last season Markov’s numbers (both offensively and defensively ) were the worst among all Habs defencemen. This season his numbers (both offensively and defensively are the best among all HAbs defencemen.

2: Plekanec. Last year Plek’s TOI (at even strength) was 664 minutes during which time the HABS were scored upon 24 times. The average for Plez was a very respectable one even strength GA every 28 minutes. The team scored 27 even strength goals with Plek on the ice:an average of one goal scored every 25 minutes.
This year so far in 104 minutes of even strength TOI the opponents have scored ONLY ONE EVEN STRENGTH Goal l while Plek has been on the ice for 104 minutes! Offensively he has been on for 4 goals- an average of one GF every 26 minutes, pretty much equal to last seasons average.

3. Rene Bourque- last season in 353 ES TOI-his numbers were one even strength GF every 29 minutes, and one GAA every 27 minutes.
he has been off to slow start this year on eôffense having been on ice for only two goals in 98 minutes, however defensively the HABS have YET to allow a goal in 98 MINUTES while Bourque has been on the ice.

While his even strength Offensive numbers are poor, Bourque continues to be one of our most productive powerplay unit members with HABs having scored 4 PPGs in 21 minutes with Bourque on the ice.

This list is by no means exclusive.There have been other HABs who have gotten off to a good start of the season, but these three players have struck me as the most unexpected, pleasant, surprises so far this year.

I would say Eller cause it remained to be seen if he was to come back at the level he left when he was injured and yes he did ! He really is becoming an important part of the team when before he was trying to make the team.

Bournival `s fate is also a surprise. I followed the guy in the Q and was so happy when we stole him against O`Byrne but did not expect him to make the team and an impact so soon.

Personnaly i am not surprised about Markov. Although it did not show last year he is the reason why the habs were successfull. When your number 1 is your number 1 and plays number 1 minutes all the other ones after him have an easier job . His role as a partner on defense is finally recognized as it should habe been. Of course when Komisarek left and fell into trouble we did notice it but his true value was never appreciated as it should have been.

I agree with your opinions re: Eller and Bournival.
I disagree about MArkov. He was NOT very good last year either offensively or defensively. The habs rarely scored when he was on the ice and the other teams scored frequently against while he was manning the blue line. he looked tired and his skating speed made Hal Gill look like Marc Gagnon (Olympic Gold Medalist -500 Meter Speed Skater).

I remember early in the season questioning the coaching staff as to why the young goaltender needed/deserved to be rested in back to back games while the aging oft-injured defenseman wa left to suck wind and given more ice time than he could handle.

I hope that he can continue at the same pace the rest of this season , and I would be very happy of he were given the occasional night off.

If Markov played 75 to 77 games this year he may still have something left in the tank come playoff time.

You are right about Markov`s level of competitiveness last season but his simple presence stabilized everything. Granted that he did strugle at his age coming back from his severe injury but the team itself was way better ,much more stable with him playing below 100 % of his usual self.

I think he is as much in control as he can be. Still on schedule and going ahead with the plan. Actually when he took the job i am certain that he tought it would be worse than it has been. Remember how the team was in bad shape back then on and off the ice ? That being said it does not make it an easier job and in MTL a bumpy road is guaranteed…

reading about the optimism for nov.. I don’t see why. they were outplayed the last 2 games & were lucky to win in vanc. on a seeing-eye shot from plex. our def was awful. diaz & georges can’t be on the ice at the same time. they’re powderpuffs. tinordi & subban are the only ones back there who can handle themselves right now. emelin & murray can’t get back soon enough. beaulieu is still too light. pateryn looks like he could play but it seems mb wants him in Hamilton at least for now.
our forwards didn’t help much. we were outhustled & lost individual battles consistently. bournival hustled his way to a loose puck on one occasion & we were out of our zone tout de suite.
we don’t hit opposing dmen & there’s something wrong with the way other teams easily make cross-ice passes in their own zone to exit quickly. that seems to be something that could be fixed tactically.
I hope briere is ok but at least he won’t be wasting our pp time for a while. I think he’s the first hab to get passed a torch that was bigger than he is.
we have some key elements like our core of young guys that gives us real hope but some things need to be fixed or this season won’t have a pleasant ending.

Got 4 wins in a row before yesterday`s game. What more do you want ? To act as if the were actually losses ?

Yes there is plenty of things to improve and that is the choice they made by taking the youth option. Beaulieu and Tinordi should be sent back to Hamilton if we are to do things right and think long term. Briere should take all his time to think about his priorities cause life is more than hockey and after 3 concussions you are almost certain to have unknown side effects sooner than later.

I do not think that this is THE season where we can contend. We will be in the race but with 9 players with no deals at the end of the season including P.K. and Eller plus a few trades here and there ,the real team to build around the solid core of youngsters we have will take shape next year and then maybe….

Ha! Found myself pondering that earlier today. Either it was some trigger word (like b****nd) or else someone very rigorously attempting to protect me from myself and perhaps preserve an (unwarranted!) reputation for being a good-mannered poster. But it was SO tame compared to many posts here! I’m eaten up with curiosity.

Was thinking to today and maybe Umberger could be a good pick up for the habs.

Maybe DD+Pick or DD,Prospect and a pick for him?
I doubt this would happen but it could be a good idea. Umberger does have a high salary but he has always played very well against us and is for sure a upgrade over DD and has been very
consistent in his career and put up very solid numbers. Only question is if Columbus would take the deal or not. and if not how much more then DD would we have to give up.
(Umberger would have to waive his NTC of course)

Why has he not stopped the players from getting hurt?
How come he has not traded Moen and a fifth for Lucic?
Why didn’t he trade DD and Diaz for Crosby?
Why didn’t he build a brick wall between the pipes instead of signing Price long term?
Why can’t he draft players who can have an immediate impact in the NHL?
How come he hasn’t landed them a Chara or some other versatile crease clearer?
How did he not get Bowman or Lemaire to coach? MT and second place, barf…..

I wonder if I am one of the few here, but I have a good feeling about the next month. I feel like the boys will keep winning more then they lose, even with their current injury woes.

Price will probably have to steal more games then he would have, but much like last year….I think they will surprise us. Guys like Bournival are ready to take on a bigger role.
Our best line to date is still in tact, and PK is poised to go for his second Norris. Bring on November!

“I think I may have found a way for us to get Griffey and Bonds, and we really won’t have to give up much” -Costanza

There will be some serious speed on the Pleks, Gionta, Bournival line… If 1-2 of those guys could start finding the net, you could be right about November.

When you’ve already been told you’ll be playing most of the year with the Dogs, and then suddenly injuries bring you back, there is of course pressure to perform but perhaps an altered pressure since expectations have to be tempered by the fact that the club’s first choice was to season you on the farm.

Yes I know he was a Hab. But for the alphabetical order of receiving the torch from #10, he would have got it first. You see it wet in alphabetical order, then the captains. It was a bit of humour but I guess if you have to explain it…

Asham would look good in a Habs jersey till Parros returned. I also think Prust has been playing hurt all season. Watch him at the Jets game and he played hard every shift but looked like he was in pain skating to the bench after every shift when play was in progress.

I agree Jim. I’m surprised Galchenyuk doesn’t get more love among the fans. I get the Gallagher love – the small kid with the huge heart – but Galchenyuk is the elite forward this Franchise has been waiting decades for. Like you said, in a couple of years, he will be unreal. He is already showing flashes of dominance and brilliance as a teenager.

The beauty is that most fans love them all equally. I have a Chucky tshirt and jersey on the way…..but I still voted Gallagher. Just seeing the heart he plays way, impossible for me personally not to vote for him.

I’d be happy voting for any of the three.

“I think I may have found a way for us to get Griffey and Bonds, and we really won’t have to give up much” -Costanza

Jim, it asks who is “your favorite hab” not who is the best. That can change but people often have a favorite because of how that person plays the game. I picked Galchy for the record, but I hated having to choose…

P. Roy sitting Varlamov against the Pens tonight. Smart move, especially this early in a long season. Knows that against a Pens team firing like that, the risk of damaging his goalers confidence is too high. They won’t win that game on goaltending alone anyway, so might as well make sure that if they do pull it out, it is a good team victory.

The more I see and read about Roy as a coach, the more I like. And this is not a “Habs should have hired him” post, ’cause I don’t think it was in the cards anyway. It is more an “I think Pat Roy is great” post, and that goes back to ’86.

To me, if anything, it implies a lack of faith that Varmalov & his squad can get the job done against a legit team. Aside from some exceptions (He’s played 7 in a row and needs a rest, or its the backups hometown etc) You play your best against their best.

Varlamov should want to play against Crosby and the Pens. Roy would have fought to play that game.

Varlamov has struggled with confidence in the past. You give your guy a break when you see a good opportunity, and this is one. If Varlamov plays this game based on pride and the Pens drop a TD on them, it could stick around longer than it should. Roy knows what damaged pride can do.

The Avs could just as easily win tonight, but I think that giving the game to an veteran back-up like JSG is a smart move. Let tonight be the Mackinnon v. Crosby match, take the pressure off your #1, and don’t worry about the score.

Every goalie is gonna have a bad game. At some point whether its the Pens, or the Blue Jackets, or the Isles, or the Red Wings, or whoever, someone is gonna chase Varlamov and put a big number behind him.

If his confidence is so fragile that he can’t deal with such an event, and needs to be protected from playing against the best teams, he’ll never make it in this league as a number 1 goalie.

Yeah, sure. I fear the point was lost. It was more about good player management, and less about Varlamov as a goaltender. He is good, and he has been off to a great start. And yeah, he will have bad games. I just thought it was smart of Roy to put his veteran back-up in against a team like the Pens. Takes the pressure off Varlamov and puts it on the team. And they responded with a 1-0 W over a great Penguins team that outshot them 34-13.

Well this definitely sucks. If you are a glass half full type of fan though, November will be a big month. Habs should add Patches, Prust, Emeiln, and Murray to the lineup in November. It will be like a whole new team. The question is – can this current roster tread water till then?

Sounds like Prust won’t be back until almost December at the earliest. Patches maybe mid-November, and likely the same for Emelin and Murray.

It’s gonna be tough. I think Emelin and Murray will arrive just in time to inject some new life in the blueline, but playing without Prust, Pacioretty and (yeah, even) Briere will be tough on the forward corps. Bournival has the ability to take on a lot of Prust’s ice, and Holland might even be as effective as Briere, but Patches spot is a bit hole. Unless some of the other guys (i.e. Plekanec, Gionta, Bourque) start to bring it, the opponents are gonna just key on the Larry line.

Liking it Jols. 24-hour build-down!
(And I apologise for Saturday night — lost all my negativity when Eller scored, and I couldn’t get it back when the ref reversed it. Was too fired up, hungry for retribution…. I guess I can’t do it alone…. sniff…)

More importantly, he was the first top-tier unrestricted free agent in a long, long time to sign with Montreal.

When Hamrlik signed with the Habs, he was one of the better free agents on the market. He was coming off a strong season in Calgary (7 goals and 38 points in 75 games) and he was widely recognized as having helped Dion Phaneuf mature as a player. You could make the argument that losing Hamrlik really caused Phaneuf to regress.

At a time when Briere and so many others were saying no to the Montreal Canadiens, Hamrlik said yes. He gave the Habs four solid years (23:08, 21:54, 23:26 and 22:16 of average ice time, including about 190 minutes per season short-handed, and he typically averaged about 30 points per season), and he played his butt off, often in roles for which he was no longer suited but gamely played due to injuries.

Hamrlik was the team’s best free agent signing, as far as I am concerned.

Bournival has been told he can look for an appartment meaning that he will spend the season with the Habs. Great news ! I have been following him since his years in the Q and what you see you will get many times from him. Talented player ,can score and score again but is also excellent both ways on the ice. A kind of Plekanesque player . He works ,hard has a good attitude and plays big.

I also like the fact that they offered first to move him with a teammate and after agreeing to let him go on his own supplied the service of a nutritionist . Those details were left untouched before and it is a very good thing that the kids get some off ice coaching.

“Dudes, I’m 21. I get to live in Montreal and play for the Habs. You just gave me a million dollars and now you want me to get a roommate? No dice dudes. No dice at all. PS, party at my new bachelor pad with Chuck Hughes and some Russian ladies.”

(That’s an exact quote too. After the Thornton thing, reporters are a little gun shy about quoting things…)

@JF
Good call on Prust and surgery. You would hope that he is getting good advice from somewhere. He will want to get back on the ice ASAP, we want to see him there, the team needs him there. But if he stands back and takes an honest look at the big picture, this might be the time he needs to forfeit all or most of a season in order to ensure that he has a long career. I’m not familiar with the minutiae of LTIR: is that an option for him? For myself, I would very much miss seeing him out there, but I would prefer him to heal properly and return when he’s really ready and do at full capacity all the things he can do. Will there be anyone suggesting he think about taking that option?

Hope the Habs brass is keeping an eye on Brendan Perlini of the IceDogs.
The guy is killing it right now. He’s their best player. Big (6’2; 200Lbs), talented, strong skater with a power game.

Plays on a line with Carter Verhaeghe who is a Leaf pick, so they’ll be seeing him for sure.

I’d keep an eye on the russian defenseman Aleksander Mikulovich, too. 6’2; 190lbs. Plays Emelin-ish. Google the fight he had Saturday vs Belleville (Sorry about the Bulls, Ian) if you enjoy that stuff.

yeah but putting eller with others will hopefully spark them (Gio & Bournival, maybe?), and the Gallys could go back with Pleks. that seemed to work. we need more than one line producing or this season could start looking like 2011/12…

No Chance. I like his vision but have become less of a fan recently. The fact is, a small body who does not routinely win one on one battles will fare much worse on the boards and be very susceptible to concussions. Better to protect the small, soft guy and keep him in the middle of the ice where he has a chance to play to his one strength – distributing the puck to wingers. Just one guy’s opinion though…

MB doesn’t plan for this team to be a true contender till the 2015 season as Boone has said, so in the meantime it’s all about plugging small holes and hoping for Price to perform in the playoffs and win a couple rounds to keep us appeased until then. So honestly, if they sign Gagne or call up Blunden or Holland or LL WTV, who cares?! This isn’t our year anyways, let’s just finish ahead of the Laffs and eliminate the Bruins. His true imprints on this team won’t come until then.

Eller`s talent makes no doubt ,Galchenyuk is an exceptionnaly talented athletes like we have been dreaming of for so long in MTL but Gallagher is a little fighter that never letsgo and kind of an outsider although we did draft him.
Funny though how on the other hand we criticize the smurfs so much…

In a few years when the novelty wears off he will be insulted on here just like the others like Koivu and Gionta. Right now he is the shiny new kid …eventually he will have a rough go and then his size will be an issue. Our skilled guys when they falter are soft. Our grinders and tough players when they are not performing are goons. The goalies are useless and should be traded when they are having a rough go.

That’s not even mentionning TOI for the players of smaller or bigger stature.
Sure having big ole Parros play 6 minutes a games helps out the average, but overall the team playing on the ice is bigger for only those 6 minutes…

He’s due for one, and his cryptic words about Chucky playing center soon/eventually leads me to believe it might be so.
But not now, there’s still alot of hockey to be played and players to be assessed.

Considering the skeleton staff that PG had and non-existent positions under PG (player development coaches), those are Bergevin’s best moves so far. A GM needs at least 5 years to build a contending team.

On a side note, since the Broncos lost does anyone else here want to see the chiefs go undefeated just so we don’t have to see Don Shula and his 72 minions pop champagne when a team goes deep in a season undefeated? Still angry my vikes missed that boat.

OUCH!
Bergevin brought in 3 players to bolster the roster, Murray, Parros and Briere. They are all out of auction from recurring injuries.
Can you say that Bergevin rolled the dice and they were loaded.

4 weeks is pretty long for this team without Prust. But am I the only one who worries we one day get the info…”Prust out long term as team has decided surgery the only option to get shoulder back to 100%”?

This is what frightens me more then the 4 weeks he will miss. And we will feel the “miss”.

“PRUST OUT FOR 4 WEEKS”..sigh..just the headline I wanted to see when I opened up the sight, dam!@! So we’ll see now about Holland, ok, but Blunden?? Why is it always Blunden, the guy never does anything. The Oilers s/b 2 pts in the bank, now we’re in for a dog fight.

Louis Leblanc…I’m not sure he understood the memo he got when he was one of the first cuts at camp this year.
His girl friend obviously thought he was being treated unfairly and publicly sulked…maybe he was also sulking and pouting about how unfair Habs management were being…”Don’t they know I am a 1st rounder and the next great Franco star in Habs history?”…
With 0 goals, 0 assists and apparently 0 shots in 4 games…he clearly is not picking up his game to show management he is ready for a promotion.
He is in the final year of his entry level contract. If he doesn’t start showing up he may be done and gone to Europe next season.
I don’t think MB will find trade value for him and as a RFA he could be offered the minimum wage required to keep his rights. If that is all he is offered I think he bolts to Europe…maybe the Swiss league.
Bottom line…this is Leblanc’s last few months to improve showing what type of player he is…
Right now what he is showing in Hamilton is that he is not an NHL level player.

But he has already had 4 games, yes you heard me 4 whole games! Clearly he is washed up and needs to be sent away. I mean if this guy can’t recover from an injury plagued season in 4 games and already show he is ready, well then this is just a waste of time. 😉

He had a high ankle sprain early last season.
He had the rest of last season to regain shape and timing…and all summer to work on getting back to game shape.
Obviously not enough for him to show enough NHL level potential.

Obvious, agree, send him out to sea, no paddle no nothing! How dare our prospects not develop sooner than the average. Those idiots in Chicago letting Bickell develop over 4 years in the AHL. We are ahead of the curve, we expect and demand immediate results. We are the Habs!

Are saying he’s being groomed as a tough 4th liner? Wow…good for a relatively high 1st rounder …I thought his role was sipposed to be more of an offensive pkayer.
Guess not if he doesn’t make it there in Hamilton.

Peter you are right. this is a HUGE year for LL. You know for a “smart” Harvard student I am surprised by his “response”. I mean I don’t know him, but seeing all those zeros on his stats shows to me he isn’t trying. Cause if he is trying, dear lord he has lost all his abilities?

Maybe he is just “done” in his mind with the habs, doesn’t believe he has a shot, hoping for a change. Again, you’d think a smart kid like that would know better. He is only ruining his career. What if habs don’t trade him. What if he gets traded, it’s very hard to all of a sudden “turn it on”. He may have actually just “lost it all”.

I agree. I think Louis problem is not his skill or ability…I think its between his ears.
I’m not sure if he has gone the Lars Eller route and spent time with a “shrink”…but I think that may help. It sure did with Lars.
If he’s done , then I feel feel very sad for him having walked away from a paid Harvard education to take his shot but coming up short. I hope he bounces back too..and as a young kid he has time. But he needs to bounce this season…and start doing it very soon.

I stand corrected.
I really thought that we would never see Blunden again with the Habs in the NHL . This guy has 9 lives ! He must take his game to another level though because he has been surpassed by some kids and in the process of being so by others. He will not put you in troubles but will not make a difference either. If he does not grab this oppotunity he will be involved in a trade before the end of the season along with some players that are at the end of their own deal.

I do not see the Habs in that much trouble. You guys wanted Briere on the pressbox anyway. Of course, we can`t replace what Prust brings to the Habs but for a short while we will.

I don’t think the habs expect Blunden to make much of an impact. He was called up cause he is most deserving….playing well in AHL. But habs know he is at best a 4th line fill in. And that’s exactly what they needed right now. So Blunden is a good call up. If he was barely playing in AHL or not playing hard, he wouldn’t have been called up. MB has been clear when he calls down that he will call on the ones who are deserving.

Exactly, he will make few mistakes and hopefully isn’t noticeable on the ice in a negative way. On the 4th line for a few games Blunden will be “okay”, hopefully he doesn’t need to be up and playing a regular shift for too long.

I think Blunden keeps coming back because he is viewed as a good soldier in the depth chart.
He may have limited NHL upside, but over the years he continues to plug away wherever he plays.
I believe he came out of the Chicago system, so MB and his staff know him well.
As a call up, I say good on him..it is reward for his effort and commitment to deliver whatever he can within his skill base.

Good luck to Blunden and Hollsnd.

And congratulations to Michael Bournival…this kid is doing on hard work, paying attention to teaching points, and committing himself to trying to be responsible at both ends of the ice. You could see that during the Memorial Cup games when they won.
Good upside with this kid…now if only Louis Leblanc would follow his lead…oh well.

Thanks Frontenac as I did not check the Dogs stats. I just went from what I saw of him during the preseason and he did not impress me then. Prehaps he went down and put his nose to the grindstone and is intent to get called up.

Congratulations to Michäel Bournival, who has been told he’ll be here for the long haul. He’s earned it, and I don’t think he’ll be out of place on one of the top lines.

As for Prust, he’d better take all the time necessary to heal his shoulder. I think he came back too soon last time and was never 100% the rest of the season. We need him, but we need him to be at his best.

Hope our other injured are back soon. If any more go down, we’ll be icing the Hamilton Bulldogs, which, judging from yesterday’s game, would be thoroughly uninspiring.

Parros is 34, which was terribly old for a fighter anyhow. Hew will jump out and fight Colton Orr. That serves a purpose, but he won’t be checking Phil Kessel when the game is on the line.

I agree that we have gotten a little tougher because PK is getting stronger, Eller is getting stronger, Gallagher is a machine, Emelin nails people, Tinordi is massive … Marc Bergevin added none of these players, and only one player to this line up that will make us tougher when the game is on the line Prust. Murray, Parros, and Bouillon shouldn’t be playing tight important minutes and won’t be. Sadly Moen doesn’t have it anymore …

The problem is with old big guys is that they have been hitting people for years and are broken. We might be less embarrassed in a donny brook, but what about in the game when Lucic is coming down the ice with a minute left to play. None of MB’s guys will be out there to go toe to toe with him in the course of play.

Size matters. Conjecture is great, but the size of a team matters. Chara isn’t the same player at 5’9″

I went to the two Bulldogs games at the Bell Centre last year. Can’t say I recall seeing him in the first one. Interestingly enough, that was Geoffrion’s last game…

Anyway, he was in the lineup for the second game and was virtually invisible and ineffective in every way.

Is it possible that his ankle injury affected his game more than we want to accept? Leblanc was never a great skater to begin with and he’s obviously an even worst skater now.

So a lot of people are up in arms about how he should get his shot. I personally would have given it to him over Blunden, but I am far less qualified to make that decision. Also, it’s hard to evaluate him when he’s getting third line duty in the AHL.

He’s still only 22 and if he wasn’t a first round pick I don’t think we’d be so hard on him. Not all our prospects will turn into Gallaghers or Bournivals. At this point, 2009 doesn’t seem like a deep draft year. The other marquee NHLers drafted after Leblanc are Kyle Palmieri and Jordan Schroeder, both whom I would take but it’s all hindsight.

“There’s genius everywhere, but until they turn pro, it’s like popcorn in the pan. Some pop… some don’t.”
– Jerry Maguire

I am hoping LL turn it around. But he hasn’t. All those zero show it. And who knows his attitude with his team. MB made it clear, when I call down to AHL its the “most deserving” that come up.

I think Pateryn will get his shot…well I hope not really, cause that would mean another D injury. But the way he is playing….I can see him being called up if needed. and I can see him with a C on his jersey soon too.

As for why Blunden. Cause he’s deserving it. Playing his heart out, a guy with not that much ) talent is leading the team in pts. How can you overlook that for Mr Zero?

This team lacks the ability to ‘finish’ my friends. Getting bigger is not the answer. We need a serious upgrade on the wing. Gallagher- without a doubt an excellent player- but is he a true #1? Gianta has obviously seen better days. Briere? You can’t be serious. Max Patch is certainly a bonafide #1 and #27 is certainly solid. Certainly Collberg could easily stuck with the team- considering MB shipped Kristo to The Rangers for a guy who’ll never play in MTL. as for the D- I am very disappointed in the play of Gorges-as he has looked slow and unsure of himself-particularly when trying to move the puck. the question is:How good are the Habs? Do we really know?